The present invention relates to an arrangement provided for sheathing a shaft-like element, and/or a connection between two shaftsxe2x80x94or a jointxe2x80x94and a method for arranging a bellows-like sheathing of a drive shaft.
Bellows-like arrangements are known for sheathing shaft-like elements, connections of shafts, such as in particular join connections or drive shafts, gear shafts and the like. Especially in the auto industry, drive shafts, gear joints, etc. are sheathed by means of rubber bellows joints, e.g. in order to protect the joints and prevent leakage of the lubrication.
As a rule, rubber bellows joints are mounted on the drive shafts with, already mounted at each end of the bellows, closed hose clamps or clamping rings or press rings such as the commercially very well known xe2x80x9cOetikerxe2x80x9d clamps that are clamped or contracted on by means of suitable tools or devices for solid, tight connection of the bellows with the respective shaft sections.
With this pre-mounted, already closed arrangement of the clamps or clamping or press rings, on the one hand cost-intensive measures are necessary on the bellows so that the non-contracted or unclamped, loose mounted clamps or rings are held on collar-like end sections, and in addition, after loose mounting of the bellows on the drive shaft to be sheathed, any defective clamps or rings can no longer be replaced and/or additional clamps or rings or replacement clamps or ring cannot be mounted.
A still open clamping ring already pre-mounted on a rubber bellows end is indeed proposed in EP 0 545 629 that is held xe2x80x9cautomaticallyxe2x80x9d on a mounting section at each end of the rubber bellows. After mounting the rubber ring, however, this clamping ring must first be clamped and closed in a first mounting step by applying a tool, to then be compressed in a second mounting step if necessary. The latter is true especially when, due to manufacturing tolerances, the clamping or press ring does not already allow secure mounting of the bellows by clamping.
It is therefore the technical problem of the present invention to propose a measure such that already loosely pre-mounted clamps or clamping or press rings can also be easily held on a bellows and can be easily replaced, or additional clamps or rings can be mounted that subsequently allow a secure, solid mounting of the bellows preferably only by means of one further processing step.
It is proposed that an arrangement intended for sheathing a shaft-like element and/or a connection between two shafts or a drive shaft and having a bellow-like element which in turn has at each end a collar-like section designed largely annularly, with, mounted on it, an open clamping, press or contracting ring or a so-called open hose clamp that is pre-stressed toward the center such that the two ends of the ring or clamping belt mutually overlap and the ring or the clamp is automatically retained on the section. In the two belt ends of the clamp or ring, meshing or interlocking sections are provided in order, when the ring or the clamp widens, to mesh or interlock and snap the ring belt or clamp belt closed.
Also proposed is a method for arranging a bellows-like sheathing of a drive shaft or a gear joint, for example to protect the lubrication of a shaft connection or a joint, in connection with which at each end the bellows-like sheathing is provided at a collar-like end section with an open clamping, press or contracting ring or a hose clamp that is pre-stressed toward the center and the ends of which are provided with corresponding contours to form a meshing or interlocking connection of the ends, and these ends mutually overlap due to the pre-stressing such that subsequently at least the one collar section at each end is slid in sleeve-like manner or pushed on a largely circular support[ section provided an a shaft or in the area of the shaft end. This support section is provided for mounting and holding one of the ends of the bellows-like sheathing, in connection with which, when the collar-like end of the bellows-like sheathing is slid in sleeve-like manner or pushed on and widened, the clamping, press or contracting ring or the hose clamp is widened such that the two ends of the ring or the clamp are moved far enough in the belt-widening direction that the meshing or interlocking solid connection of the two belt ends arises due to the contours provided for, and then, by means of a press, contracting or clamping step, the ring or the clamp is fastened on the collar-like end in the diameter-reducing direction to produce the solid connection between the bellows-like element and the shaft.
The arrangement and, respectively, the method defined according to the invention is of course suitable for sheathing shafts or shaft-like elements of different kinds, for sheathing or protecting joint-like connections, drive shafts, gear shafts, etc. The widest variety of bellows-like elements made of the widest variety of elastic materials such as rubber, elastomer, thermoplastic plastics, etc. can also be used for the arrangements and/or methods according to the invention, as can the widest variety of hose clamps, clamping or press rings as well. In this connection; the ends joining the two belt ends of the clamps or the rings can have the widest variety of designs. The essential point is that the two ends have a contour which, when the clamp or the belt is widened, allows a meshing or interlocking connection or allows them to slide into each other or snap in. In this connection, the following clamps should be pointed out, for example: those described in EP 570 742, EP 591648, EP 503 609, CH 561383, CH 555 026, CH 669 642, CH 677 010, CH 679 945, EP 543 338, as well as so-called xe2x80x9cOetikerxe2x80x9d clamps, as are widely used commercially and very well known, just to name a few.
The major advantage of the method proposed according to the invention is in the fact that the pre-stressed clamping, press or contracting ring selected according to the invention can be designed smaller and more accurate and is thereby less expensive to manufacture. In addition, there is a smaller contracting path than there is, for example, with an already mounted, closed ring.
Another advantage results from the fact that the ring according to the invention can be inserted from the side and can be precisely positioned where it is to be mounted in the end. In this way, a contracting or press ring can also be mounted at a specific location that is provided with corresponding production or mounting data, which should be placed precisely at that location. Thesexe2x80x94if necessaryxe2x80x94important details on the contracting or press ring placed according to the invention can thus be reviewed later; for example, they can be stamped into the press ring.